Alternative remedies

Many of us have dabbled with homeopathy, but does it work? Sally Weale investigates.

Do you believe in homeopathy? Maybe you do, maybe you don't, but I bet many of you have got a tube of arnica cream hidden away in your medicine cabinet.

A substantial proportion of us will have tried one homeopathic treatment or another - whether for eczema or asthma, PMS or hayfever. Pharmacies are starting to stock homeopathic remedies, there is a growing number of medical doctors who incorporate its theories into their practices, and homeopathy is one of the fastest growing sectors of Australia's booming $2.3 billion complementary medicine industry.

But questions are being raised about the effectiveness of homeopathic treatment.

Earlier this month, arnica, that most familiar of homeopathic treatments, the one that most parents swear by to soothe the hundreds of lumps and bumps, knocks and bruises that come with childhood, took a massive hammering.

Many of us can vouch for its miraculous effects. My seven-year-old son's forehead and shins have been smeared lavishly with arnica several times a week ever since he could move. But new research says arnica is a total waste of money.");document.write("

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Results of a clinical trial published in this month's Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine in Britain show it does nothing to reduce pain or accelerate healing - so save your money and go to your GP instead.

The study was carried out by Professor Edzard Ernst and colleagues at the University of Exeter, England, and the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital, who looked at three groups of patients about to have surgery on their wrists for carpal tunnel syndrome.

One group was given high-potency homeopathic arnica tablets to be taken before the operation and afterwards for two weeks. Another group was given low-potency tablets and the third was given a placebo. Results showed "no significant difference" in pain, bruising or swelling between the groups.

So where does that leave the future of homeopathy?

Dr Geoff Jankelson, a medical doctor who integrates Western and alternative medicine at the Your Health clinic in Edgecliff, says there is no scientific evidence showing that homeopathy should work, but clinical trials indicate that it does work.

"I would have difficulty believing it wasn't effective from my own clinical experience," he says.

"I use homeopathy where I think it's appropriate. I have my doubts about how it works as a broader application in general medicine, but I'm pretty confident there's a place for it."

Ernst, Britain's only professor of complementary medicine, believes the jury is still out. His study was too limited to offer a conclusive verdict on homeopathy. "Our study did not question homeopathy as a whole. It just questioned one tool in the homeopathic tool kit and that is arnica." The case for homeopathy may have been dented a bit, but the case against was far from proven.

"In the future we need more rigorous studies of homeopathic treatments. There are millions of research questions out there. We can't answer them all, but we should answer at least some of the most obvious ones in homeopathy. One study is not enough to really make firm conclusions."

Homeopathy was first discovered, or described, almost two centuries ago by a German physician, Samuel Hahnemann. Homeopathic remedies are made up from minute amounts of a substance that in higher doses could be harmful, and are intended to stimulate the body to heal itself using the principle that like cures like. Homeopathy believes that the more diluted a remedy, the more effective it is. But one of the key scientific problems with this is that remedies are diluted to the point where not even a single molecule of the original substance remains. So how can it have any effect, good or bad?

Ernst, a trained homeopath, agrees that patients receiving homeopathic treatment do get better, but that could be down to the placebo effect or just the illness or condition following its natural course. Others think the empathy shown by homeopaths towards patients could have a powerful impact on their healing potential.

"As a clinician or practitioner, very often you are misled by your own wishful thinking. We need to do the science," says Ernst.

So what would he say to those who spend thousands of dollars every year on homeopathic treatments and consultations?

"Homeopathic products are usually quite cheap," Ernst offers in its defence. "But when people spend money on arnica for bruises, I would advise them to save their money.

"Generally speaking, the evidence is far too mixed, with positive studies and negative studies. I cannot say whether homeopathy does or doesn't work. It might just be nonsense."

But does the fact that it is nonsense matter if it works? "If it truly is nonsense - and I'm not saying it is - it is still better to use effective treatments," says Ernst.

Dr Peter Fisher is director of research at the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital - one of five such hospitals in Britain - and he is also homeopath to the Queen. He is cheerily confident about the future of homeopathy, despite recent setbacks.

He can tell you scores of success stories - a woman with such acute eczema that she had to be hospitalised, who is now virtually mark free; patients with rheumatoid arthritis fantastically cured. He admits it raises big scientific questions but adds: "We have made huge progress. I remain confident that the long-term trend is going to be favourable."